Crystal Worthem, 36, is the brand content and alliances manager for Ford. She was one of the first to receive an MBA through the five-year track offered through FAMU's School of Business and Industry.

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Branding is everything in Crystal Worthem's business. Daily, she's leading a team of people and projects aimed at pushing Ford Motor Co. to the forefront of the automotive industry.

Her office, stationed at the company's headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., just west of Detroit, is nearly 1,000 miles away from the university she visited as a Tampa high-school student who had her pick of schools. Florida A&M University, however, charmed her with its friendly campus and culture. Her high school lacked something she craved: diversity.